Grey Sands
by ylvglo
Summary: A mix-up on his part leads to a chance to make his life his own again and he grabs it. Mow he just needs the Guardians to understand before it's all for naught.
1. Prologue

I want to thank Gespenst for betaing for me again. You helped me make it lots better than it originally was. Thank you.

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**_Grey Sand_**

**_Prologue_**

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He opens his eyes at the quiet noise echoing in the caverns of the lair and lets out a groan at the sight that meets him. Damn Nightmares, trying to scare him again. He huffs in irritation as his eyes follow the streams of Nightmare sand. Why couldn't they ever leave him alone?

One of the streams separate from the rest and floats towards him. He holds out his staff in warning.

'I'm not in the mood so just leave me alone.' The stream pause and he gets the impression that had it a head it would be tilting it in curiosity. He blinks, that's not a reaction he'd have thought Nightmare sand capable of, it seemed almost benevolent…

_Shit!_

He's on his feet, eying his surroundings suspiciously before the thought chain even finishes. The Nightmare sand isn't acting odd, it is_ Dream_ sand. He should have seen it; the sand is far too light to be anything else. Now that he's looking it's so obvious. The shade is completely off – far too light – there is no way that is Nightmare sand. His mind had just assumed that since it was in the lair…

He should have learned not to assume anything by now.

He can reprimand himself later though, because where there is Dream sand, usually the Sandman is near (not really, but it's unlikely the sandy Guardian would just send his Dream sand down into Pitch's lair unless he's here too). He's hoping he's wrong. Let him be wrong! Let him be wrong!

But there is the Sandman just by the entrance, staring at him as if he's grown a second head. He blinks at the little man, trying to decipher the look. What would harbor such an expression?

His eyes go wide, pupils shrinking to pinpricks and he slaps a hand over his mouth. The Sandman heard him. What will Pitch do to him when he finds out? And he will find out, he always does. How he does it is a mystery, but without fail he _always_ knows if something is being kept hidden from him.

He almost jumps out of his skin when an exclamation mark appears right before his eyes. When did the Sandman get so close? He looks down into warm eyes (he thinks they're warm, it's always so hard to tell) and an expectant expression. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath behind his hand before lowering it. It's easy to understand what the other want, but he's afraid. He's already damned himself, but it could get so much worse. Pitch so loves to punish him.

But maybe, just maybe, it could get better. The Guardians aren't his enemies by choice, in fact from their limited interactions he actually thinks he could come to like them if he gets a chance (with the exception of the kangaroo of course). He looks at the Sandman; the man who gives good dreams to all the children he can reach. And he thinks, this might be his one and only chance.

'Yeah, I… I can talk.' It almost hurts to say it and he can't help but looking around for any signs of Pitch or Nightmare sand. He'll have doomed himself if anyone but the tiny Guardian heard him, perhaps not irrefutably, not yet. But it's obvious what's coming next.

And there it is; the question mark. It's incredible how much meaning there can be behind a single symbol. _Why has he never spoken before the Guardians before? Why does he work for Pitch? __**Who**__ is he?_ He bites his lips, wants to explain, wants to tell the Sandman everything, but there isn't time.

'Look, I can't tell you, not yet. Pitch could be returning any moment now. But if you help me get away from him, I _promise_ you that you'll get all the answers you want,' he says quickly, eyes once more flitting around the room, looking for signs of movement. From the corner of his eyes he can see the sandy Guardian nodding.

He takes a deep breath before he continues, it's imperative that the other understand the significance of his next request. 'Two things. First, you need to take my staff,' – the little man has a puzzled look on his face as he accept the staff, but he refrains from signing – 'and _don't_ give it back.'

The Sandman wrinkles his brows and is about to make a protest, but he won't let him. 'Secondly,' he says and gives the other a pointed look. 'You have to put me to sleep. But know that as soon as you do, Pitch will know something is up, so you'll have to act quickly.'

The Guardian looks at him with eyebrows drawn together, but the little man takes a deep breath, face seeming to sag for a moment before he sets his jaw again and gives a curt nod. Raising an arm he conjures a ball of sand and holds it out.

His breath hitches and with a quick look at the Sandman he reaches out and takes the ball with shaking hands He can't help the awed little smile that stretches over his face as he touches the sand. Dream sand is everything its opposite isn't; it is soft and fine while the Nightmare sand is gritty and rough; it gives of a peaceful and comforting aura when the other holds an air of fear and terror.

He can feel tears welling in his eyes but he bites his lips and holds them. He can't break down now.

'One more thing,' he says hoarsely without taking his eyes of the sand in his hands. 'The answers are behind me.' He throws the Dream sand in his face.

Finally Jack Frost knows restful sleep.

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As you might have guessed, there is more to this story. Lot's more. But I do not dare promise that I'll write and post it. Though Zin said something about peer pressure. :D

Crossposted on AO3


	2. Chapter 1

_**Grey Sands**_

_**Chapter 1**_

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He doesn't quite understand the feeling welling up in him, or even how the children can see him, but he can't bring himself to care. All that matters is the moment. The children laugh and he chases them, makes snowmen with them, applaud their snow angels. And they have snowball wars, running around, cheeks dark from the cold, hurling balls of snow at each other. At first it is everyone against Jack, but soon it turns into everyone against everyone as the children miss Jack and hit each other.

'_What were you thinking? Brining him_ here? _You have any idea what jeopardy you might have put us in?!'_Jack pause at the sound of the voice, it doesn't _belong_, shouldn't be here. Yet it is and it sounds faintly familiar…

'_Now, Bunny…'_ another voice, again faintly familiar, begins before it's cut off.

'Don't _you_ Bunny _me Nor…'_

A snowball hits Jack square in the face and is accompanied by a chorus of laughter from the children. For a moment all he can do is blink stupidly before his lips spread in a wide grin and he bends down to make another snowball. At the sight of him the children shriek in exhilarated fear and start running. Jack chases and soon the memory of the voices is drowned by laughter and snow.

'_He_ asked _you to take him?'_ the first voice returns and Jack drops his newest snowball on the ground. '_If_ that _doesn't smell of a trap I don't know what does! This is definitely another one of Pitch's schemes!'_

The world _ shatters_

There is no snow covered world, no laughing children, no fun. Just the darkness behind closed eyelids. He bites back frustrated tears at this new nightmare. Disguised as a dream it has left him aching for all the things he don't have, will never have.

'…under lock and key.' He recognizes the voice now. The Easter Bunny and the other one was Santa Claus. But what are the two Guardians doing in the lai…

They're not in the lair. _Jack_ is not in the lair. The Sandman, he did what Jack asked. The knowledge rest on his mind light with relief.

The seals flare. _No._ He knew they would, but he'd hoped. Hoped the Sandman would understand. Hoped to wake up and find them gone.

His eyes flare open, taking in his surroundings, searching. He's on a couch in what appears to be a sitting room. If he were to hazard a guess, he's likely at the pole (the elf scouring across the floor on the other side of the room is a pretty good indicator). The room's too many windows are thankfully closed, though they wont be too much off a hindrance. Glass is so easily broken after all. The four Guardians are standing in front of what appears to be the only door leading out of the room and his staff is nowhere to be seen. Good. The Sandman might not have understood, but he'd listened anyway.

'We're well aware of your opinion on the matter Bunny. So I suggest you close your mouth and _let_ _us speak as well_,' the Tooth Fairy chides. The Easter Bunny only sputters in reply. 'Thank you. Now I think we should listen to what the boy has to say.

'I don't know about you, but to me it has always seemed like the boy's heart hasn't been into it, the way he flies, the way he fights, it feels too rigid. I believe there is something in the equation we're not aware of, something important, and this might be our only chance to find out what.'

Jack smiles. The Tooth Fairy had always seemed so distracted when he'd encountered her in the past, but now he wonders if she's the most observant of them all.

That's when his body decides to act.

He's well aware that the Easter Bunny is the fastest of the four, on land. In the air it's the Tooth Fairy. Once he finds his staff she'll be the only one capable of keeping up with him, she'll have to go first. That might keep the others occupied long enough for him to find his staff. The Sandman didn't understand the importance of keeping the staff away from him so there is a chance it's kept close by, unguarded. He hopes he's wrong. He doesn't stand a chance at getting away, at returning to Pitch without it.

Jack does not want to return to Pitch.

He's up and running in one fluid motion, arm outstretched, frost fizzling in his palm, and fingers searching for delicate wings. Just as two fingers reaches their goal something grabs him around the waist and yanks him back.

Two fingers are enough and he watches in horror as frost patterns race down one of the Tooth Fairy's wings. Then their eyes meet. Eyes wide with hurt and disbelief stare into his own orbs.

To the side the Easter Bunny is ranting, but Jack can't move his gaze. It's as if she has cast a spell on him and all he can focus on is her. The rabbit's words reach his ears as if filtered through water. 'His heart isn't in it?! You defended him and still he attacks you, trying to freeze of your wings!'

'Shut it Bunny,' she says, voice too calm. Then she closes her eyes, breaking the spell, and takes a deep breath. Opening her eyes she turns toward the rabbit. 'Can't you see?! The boy is horrified by his own actions!'

The Easter Bunny huffs. 'Horrified that he was caught I bet.'

'_Bunny!_' Before the fairy can say any more Santa breaks in.

'Tooth is right, Bunny. There is something going on we do not see,' he says calmly. 'Sandy?'

From the corner of his eyes, Jack can see the Sandman nod, and some of the Dream sand around his waist lifts up and throws itself in his face.

Jack Frost succumbs to the darkness of sleep and _dreams_.

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I completely forgot that I'd posted Grey Sands here (oops). So have _Chapter 1_ months after I posted it on _AO3_. Yes chapter one, because what was previously the whole story is now just the prologue.


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